The 'Trouble' with Teacup Pigs

By DIANA WALDHUBER 

Teacup pigs are so cute and teeny, even Paris Hilton has joined in the craze and added one to her growing animal zoo. But before you jump onto the teacup bandwagon, there are a few things you should know.

Eye of the Beholder

Sometimes a teacup isn’t really a teacup. Especially when the teacup is a pig! And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

In reality, the teacup pig is small when it's born. After that, your piggy friend is going to grow, sometimes up to even 150 pounds! Sorry, there will be no shoulder bag rides for this not-so-little piggy!

Small is the New Black

We all love something new and glittery, or at least hot and cutting edge and fashionable. And right now, what's hot and fashionable in the pig breeding world is smaller and smaller breeds.

Sure, small and miniature is darn cute, but so is a normal pig that hasn’t been inbred to a terrible degree.

Lies to Sell

Many unscrupulous breeders will lie and say their pigs will not grow beyond a certain size. They’ll even show off the "small" parents.

But you should keep in mind that pigs can breed as young as four months old. So, you just might be looking at very young pig parents, who haven’t finished growing themselves!

Discarded Animals

It’s something we never like to think about, but the fact is, many people who rush into these designer animal crazes are either ill-equipped or not willing to handle the realities of having to care for a full-grown pig.

This means pigs are often mistreated, malnourished and even abandoned. And an abandoned animal is always a travesty.

If you want a pig, great. But with all hot crazes, the days are early, so why not adopt from a shelter, instead? There are plenty of pigs waiting and waiting for a good home there. So give a sweet, lonely little pig exactly what he deserves, a loving home.

Featured image: iStock.com/Fotosmurf03